August 13, 2019 — I would like to correct some misconceptions and rebut some of the statements made by Ms. Johanna Thomas in her Aug. 2, 2019, opinion in the Seacoast Newspapers. Ms. Thomas sites the West coast Groundfish fleet as a success story. That is not the case as told by the fishermen on the West coast. She also fails to mention that 50% of the fleet was bought out in a $60 million-plus dollar buy out prior to the implementation of catch shares. This alone should have rebuilt stocks.
Ms. Thomas extolls the virtue of cameras on vessels but fails to point out that the fish must be placed, one at a time, on a measuring board in front of the camera which makes them just as dead as the at-sea monitoring program. She also fails to point out that this system is just as costly as at-sea monitoring but with one added detraction. Our vessels are our bathroom, bedroom and boardroom. The camera records everything and is a massive invasion of privacy and civil liberties. The city of Manchester, N.H. has been sued by the ACLU over this issue and courts in British Columbia ruled that fishermen could not be constantly recorded in the name of fishery management.